This application is a continuation in part of prior application Ser. No. 10/126,561, filed Apr. 19, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,356.
The invention relates to an apparatus for reducing the concentration of pollutants in the exhaust emissions of an internal combustion engine, particularly an engine driving an electric generator on a boat. The invention is particularly adapted for connecting to the exhaust manifold of a marine electric generator engine.
It is well known that internal combustion engines produce an exhaust emission containing pollutants that are harmful to the environment. Such pollutants include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and various hydrocarbons. There are many inventions for reducing the concentration of such pollutants in engine exhaust emissions. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,410,871 and 5,419,123 each disclose emission control devices particularly suited for reducing pollutant levels in automobile exhaust emissions.
Pollution control for marine electric generator engines presents a unique set of challenges that have not been sufficiently addressed by the prior art. Houseboats and large cruisers typically have an electric generator for powering air conditioning, stereos, appliances and the like. Electricity is generated by a conventional internal combustion engine that produces an exhaust emission containing a relatively high concentration of pollutants. Typically, the concentration of pollutants is higher than that given off by automobile engines due to the lack of anti-pollution equipment generally required in automobile engines.
Such marine generators are commonly operated when the boat is stationary, and thus the pollutants are emptied into a single concentrated area in the water that is proximate to where people may be swimming. The collection of toxic pollutants such as carbon monoxide near swimmers, particularly children, presents a potentially life-threatening situation making effective pollution control of marine generator engines critical. Conventional catalytic converters used on automobiles reach extremely hot temperatures of over 1000° Fahrenheit, which is too high for safe use on a boat where the risk of fire is of more paramount concern. Other emission control devices, such as the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,410,871 and 5,419,123 operate at cooler temperatures, but still reach over 300° Fahrenheit, which presents a danger of overheating and fire. The danger of fire on a boat is just as life-threatening as the presence of poisonous gases, and therefore a pollution control device for a marine generator engine must be highly resistant to overheating as well as extremely effective in reducing poisonous gases. Furthermore, pollution control for a marine generator engine requires a device that is capable of eliminating the substantially higher concentrations of pollutants contained in the gaseous emissions of marine generator engines.
In an effort to overcome and eliminate the aforementioned problems, the present invention was conceived.